By Innocent Anaba
Isoko Nation, in Delta State, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to concede to an Isoko man or woman, the position of Managing Director of the newly established South South Development Commission, SSDC, to wipe away the feeling of alienation among their people.
Lamenting that the Isoko Nation has not benefitted in any state or federal appointment since this democratic dispension started in 1999, Delta State All Progressives Congress, APC, Secretary, Mr. Peter Akarogbe, said giving an Isoko son the Managing Directorship of SSDC would go a long away in reassuring the Isoko Nation, which produces a daily oil output of 383,478.9barrel per day, on shore that they have not been forgotten by the Bola Tinubu administration.
Leading Hyacinth Ewariezi, APC Delta Youth Leader, Hoplyn Akpottu-Ayu, APC State Welfare Secretaty and Vincent Egbegbo, APC Isoko South Local Government Chairman, Akarogbe, who addressed newsmen in Lagos yesterday, said: “From 1999 till date, no Isoko person has occupied any key position, be it at the state or federal level. Isoko accounts for the highest onshore oil production in the state and the second place oil was first discovered, outside Oloibiri, Bayelsa State.
“We feel maginalised and neglected. Our people are maginalised alround. In Delta South, of the three major groups, while Ijaw occupies the position of Adminstrator of Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, Itsekiri occupies Local Content Board and Maritime University. We the Isoko have nothing.
“Mind you, Isoko gave the APC so much vote in the 2023 general election. We are the only ethnic group that produced a senator in the state with our votes. Our being excluded from everything is making it difficult to sell the party to our people because it looks as if its ‘Monkey Dey Work, Babon dey Chop.’
“We we are appealing to our President Tinubu to look to the direction of Isoko. We know it is an oversight and we want to draw the attention of Tinubu to this development because we feel he does not know.
“The SSDC chairman has been appointed, so we are only begging Tinubu to consider an Isoko person as the MD of the commission. Our president should look in our direction by appointing an Isoko person MD of SSDC. We have eminently qualifies sons, who have served meritoriously at different levels who will perform well if giving the position.
“We have worked for President Tinubu, that was why we produced a senator, which is in support of the president and it is time that we are remebered and rewarded. We are saying to our president, remember Isoko for the support they gave you and give us something to campaign for you with come 2027.”
“We are not like other ethnic groups that resorted to violence agitation, we have continued to tell our people to remain calm because we believe that the President will remember us, now that we have called on you, do not to forget us,” he added.
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